Bachmann finds friends back home

ELK RIVER, Minn. — The verdict from Washington last week was swift and bipartisan: Michele Bachmann was out of line.

Accusing two prominent Muslims — State Department aide Huma Abedin and Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota — of being tied to the Muslim Brotherhood was a step too far, even for the conservative firebrand.

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But the Northeast corridor’s stunned disbelief at what it saw as a loony conspiracy theory is replaced with hollers of support among Bachmann’s many devoted fans here in the exurbs north of the Twin Cities that she represents.

If anything, the uproar seems to have galvanized her base. And the contrasting reaction demonstrates why Democrats will have a hard time in their latest effort to unseat the GOP lightning rod.

Supporters like Duane Halstad, a 69-year-old who was sitting on a porch watching a parade here, said Bachmann is the “only one telling the truth about this thing.” He also said he believes President Barack Obama vacations on Martha’s Vineyard to observe the Islamic holiday of Ramadan. Obama is a Christian.

Rachel Olson, a 41-year-old from Isanti said flatly that she doesn’t “think [Bachmann] would make something up.”

The theme that emerged in roughly two dozen interviews over the weekend — at parades and a county fair — is echoed within Bachmann’s inner circle.

Bachmann has long been drawn to the idea that Muslim Brotherhood agents are infiltrating the government — even before she landed a seat on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Ron Carey, former chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party and Bachmann’s chief of staff in 2010, said he was present during a private briefing in her office about the group. Bachmann is simply “privy to information that you and I don’t have.”

“It was very sobering, some of the information this individual was sharing in this private meeting about the Muslim Brotherhood,” Carey said. “I think she’s been exposed to a lot of discussion on the Hill, and it’s been an area of tremendous interest with her.”

And just like that, the outlines of the post-presidential profile of Bachmann became abundantly clear. A year ago, the 56-year-old tea party favorite was flying high. Campaigning last year in Iowa, she was, for a time, the front-runner for the presidential nomination.

Her campaign came apart at the seams, and she faded into the background of Republican politics. Many wondered if she’d run for office again.

But now, her political star has risen once again on the far right. She’s become an annoyance for House Republican leaders, who say her conspiracy theories tarnish the party’s brand and run afoul of their economy-focused message.

Meanwhile, the left is again targeting her for defeat.

Democrats spent millions in an unsuccessful bid to beat Bachmann in 2010. They had largely written her off this cycle, thinking a stronger Republican district would make her invincible. But the party seems to be focusing on Democrat Jim Graves, a wealthy Minneapolis businessman who is looking to cast himself as the moderate alternative to the unpredictable Bachmann. The slogan of his campaign is “Getting back to business.”